Feudal Era

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The group rested quietly around a dying camp fire just off the main path they ran on away from the inn. Everyone seemed to be asleep as Motoko lay awake staring up at the twinkling stars. She wondered what those tiny balls of light were and how they managed to move with the seasons. There was so much she didn't know and so much she wanted to learn but probably would never get the chance to do.

Her breathing was even enough to feign sleep in the event someone woke up. She didn't want to really talk to anyone. She worried about how Kina killed so many people so fast. She wondered why she was developing feelings for such a jerk who refused to let anyone in. She knew she thought too much for her own good--too much to let her rest.

She turned over to face the fire and saw Inuyasha's eyes on her. She wasn't mad anymore. She tried to appear indifferent.

"What are you looking at?" she huffed, quietly so as not to wake the others.
 
Inuyasha sat against a tree, awake. He looked up at the sky, taking note of the phase of the moon. Soon. He thought, knowing the new moon was near and he'd be human again- emotions running wild, weak in mind and body. He remembered wanting to be a full demon just so that he didn't have to go through this transformation anymore...so that he could be accepted somewhere.

Kagome changed that. She loved him the way he was. Sure Kikyo had started to change his min but she wanted him to turn human...Kagome didn't want him to change. She was his courage, something to protect and love. And she utterly trusted him. He let his expression be mournful as he looked away from the sky and towards the fire.

Movement caught his eye and he looked to see that Motoko was away. Miroku's words returned to him, overlapping his previous thoughts of the past. There's no way she could like him. He wasn't nice and he didn't try to be. He really had no redeeming quality about...No, the monk was just messing with him. Still angry at him for contributing to Sango's death.

"What are you looking at?"

Inuyasha hadn't realized he was staring at her. His expression still that of mourning and he only looked away from her, feeling that he couldn't put up a fight right now.
 
She sighed and rolled over, facing away from him. She wasn't entirely angry. Just frustrated. She realized she'd rather hate him, but the feelings were there and she didn't know how to make them go away. She didn't have time for crushes right now. She had to get to Europe as soon as she could to find her mother. Still, she opened her mouth anyway.

"One day, you'll hate the fact that you cast everyone out after your girlfriend got stuck in her world. By that point, you'll have pushed everyone away and you will realize that you don't want to be alone. You won't want to be the guy brooding in the corner forever. You'll need someone there eventually," she said.

She closed her eyes and tried not to think about him.
 
He wanted to wallow in his self misery, mourn the past, something he couldn't change. Yet Motoko spoke again.

"At least I won't endanger someone I love if I'm alone..." He murmured in reply, unsure if she heard him. Not sure if he wanted her to or not. Subconsciously he was calling out for someone to bring him out of his misery. To help him move on. But what if he put them in danger? What if he fell in love again, only to have them ripped away from him again? What if he forgot about Kagome? What if he was okay with that?

He shook his head. His self doubt and guilt covering his subconscious need for someone. He looked out, not able to sleep, knowing his dreams would be filled with heartbreak.
 
Just before Motoko drifted to sleep, she heard his reply. She was half awake, but she heard it loud and clear. She decided to keep quiet and forget about it. She didn't open her eyes until dawn.

Hideki nudges Motoko to wake her. Kina still slept.

"Motoko," her twin whispered.

"Hnn..." she acknowledged.

He shushed her quietly and nudged her once more.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"We need to talk about Kina."

Motoko opened her eyes fully, forgetting any kind of fatigue she still felt. She sat up and followed her brother away from camp.

"She killed--" Hideki was interrupted.

"I know. But I don't think she remembers a thing."

Hideki ran his large hands through his pigment-lacking curls, worry upon his face. "She couldn't have been asleep or something...could she?"

Motoko shrugged. She heard rustling over by the camp--their cue to go back. "We need to tell the group. We can't just keep quiet about this. I'm sure they could tell it wasn't her blood on her when we met up yesterday."

Hideki agreed before they started back.
 
Inuyasha only had his eyes closed, feigning sleep. He really couldn't sleep properly nowadays. One day it'll come back to bite him in the ass but for now, he just lost himself in his thoughts.

His ears twitched at the sounds of movement. He heard the twins leave and even some of their conversation. Yes, he knew the little girl killed the humans. Her scent reeked of their blood. He opened his eyes to look at the girl. What have they gotten themselves into now....

Inuyasha's ears perked as Sisumi stretched when she awoken.

Sisumi sat up slowly, carefully setting a sleeping Shippo on the ground. She stretched further, looking around. She was usually the first one to wake. She spotted Inuyasha, also awake. She worried about him, he rarely slept...at least he ate.

"What shall we do for breakfast?" She smiled at him, not mentioning his continuous sleepless nights.

Inuyasha looked a bit grateful for her not mentioning it, lip twitched slightly at the hint of a smile.

"There's a river nearby..." He answered her question.

"Oooooo, yay! Let's catch some fish!"
 
The twin dogs scurried back to camp, Hideki shifted his path back toward sleeping Kina to wake her. Motoko cleared her throat as everyone rose and awoke.

"I have to talk to everyone," she said.

Kina was still groggy, so Hideki carried her away. She had to be talked to privately.

As Motoko waited for Hideki to move with Kina far enough away, she began speaking.

"As I'm sure you know already, Kina had the blood of those dead humans on her clothes and skin. She killed them--she must have, but she doesn't remember anything, which leads me to believe that either she has something wrong with her mind or she was possessed by something. When she came to fully yesterday, she was confused as to why she had so much blood on her and why we were no longer at the inn..." Motoko stated.

Motoko let her head drop. She didn't know what to do--all she could think of was to continue west to find their mother in search of answers.
 
Sisumi left to go fishing and returned with practically a mountain of fish. She set the pile on the ground and started to build a fire. It would have been an easier task if Nakida were here, but Sisumi assumed she was still hunting. The wolf will return when she's ready.

Inuyasha helped with the fire, blowing on it as Sisumi began piercing the fish with sticks and sticking the free ends into the sand to cook them over the growing fire.

They both looked up when the twins returned. Both of their ears perked, listening.

Sisumi's ears lowered and she got up to hug Motoko, maybe using a little too much strength. "It's okay Motoko, we'll figure this out."

Inuyasha didn't say anything. Her idea of it being possession brought on the thoughts of Naraku, but he was a 100% sure that Naraku was dead...There was no way it could be him.
 
Motoko cautiously accepted Sisumi's hug, feeling physically crushed and emotionally lifted. She smiled a little bit while Sisumi's arms wrapped around her and felt a little more at ease regarding their current situation. She let her arms embrace Sisumi as well.

Her eyes averted to Inuyasha. Remembering what he said just the night before, her new smile formed into a discouraging frown. Miroku looked at the half dog woman, who could feel a second set of eyes on her. She flushed, embarrassed and looked away.

"So!" Miroku began, breaking the painful silence. "What's your story Motoko? What are your current goals? Nakida found you traveling, right?"
 
Sisumi realized she was using too much strength and loosened her arms, pulling away slightly. "Sorry." She apologized with a sheepish smile. She was happy the female dog accepted her hug and even hugged her back. It took her a long time to get Nakida to return her hug...

Her smile turned reassuring, knowing that they will figure this out and somehow solve it. She had a lot of faith. She pulled away completely and returned to her task of setting up the fish to be cooked, turning the first batch. She really did catch quite a large amount.

Inuyasha was watching Motoko, contemplating his own theories. His own frown deepened when she frowned when she looked at him. He banished Miroku's statements the day before from his mind.

Sisumi perked at Miroku's question, "Yes, tell us! If you want to..." She exclaimed excitedly yet somber in case it was hard to tell them their story. She knew Nakida had a difficult one as well.
 
Motoko suddenly felt very positive--no doubt because of Sisumi. Her aura alone was sweet and encouraging. Her ears perked a little bit, feeling encouraged herself.

"I don't mind sharing. And to answer your question, Miroku--yes. We were traveling when we crossed paths with Nakida. Before Kina was born, Hideki and I knew our mother. We were close to her but we hardly remember what she looks like. Or if she's still alive. She's not Japanese--she's European. When she left, our father told us that she had to leave to keep us safe. This was just after she gave birth to Kina. Hideki and I knew that our father spoke the truth, but Kina always believed that our mother left because of her. On our father's death bed, he assured Kina that we would have been in danger if she'd stayed. He then encouraged us to find her. She's still in Europe. We don't know where exactly, but we're determined to find her. I believe we have even more of a reason now that Kina had that episode..." Motoko explained.

Her eyes flickered in Inuyasha's general direction involuntarily.
 
Sisumi's ears lowered, "Poor Kina..." The cat mumbled, glancing in the direction Hideki took her.

She looked at Motko once more, a determined look in her eyes. "I'm positive your mother is alive! Why else would your father send you on this adventure? We'll help you look for her! Right guys?" She turned her burning gaze of hope onto Miroku and Inuyasha.

Inuyasha was still watching Motoko as he thought. He glanced away only to find Sisumi staring at him pointedly. He wasn't quite paying attention to what she was saying. "Err..Yeah...Of course..." He answered the cat girl, a bit uncertain and sheepish.

~~~~

Nakida was being followed, and she knew it.
 
Motoko was surprised and a caught off guard when Sisumi said they'd all help. She was even more surprised when Inuyasha agreed as well.

Her eyes kept looking at him. She couldn't help it. Her eyes just automatically traveled there every minute or so. It was starting to annoy her. She wanted to be able to do something without thinking of him. He hated her--she was sure of it. All she wanted to do was hate him too. Things would be so much easier...

Motoko watched Sisumi cook the massive pile of fish, trying desperately to shake that stupid dog from her mind.
 
Sisumi grinned. She suspected Inuyasha wasn't paying attention to her but she shrugged it off as it caused him to blindly agree to help. He can't take back his word now. Snicker..

"Good! See, Motoko? We're behind you 100%!" She smiled happily, tail flicking as she finished up skewering the fish, and turned some.

Oh no...What did he agree to..? Inuyasha thought to himself, seeing the look of surprise on Motoko's face. Shit... he can't take it back now...whatever it was...
 
Hideki returned with Kina. Kina's dead eyes were filled with a bit of worry. Hideki nodded to Motoko. He'd talked to her. She knew what she did--it was clear. Motoko did her best to help Kina forget about it for now.

"Sisumi made us breakfast!" Motoko told her, smiling and tousling her younger sister's hair.

Kina made a face, but as disturbed by her actions as she was, she still had to eat something.

Hideki rubbed Kina's back, trying to soothe her and reassure her at the same time. She gave him a small smile and began nibbling on the fish.

Meanwhile, Miroku kept glancing back and forth from Inuyasha to Motoko. He was waiting for something--anything that would prove to him that there was something there.
 
Sisumi smiled at Kina, handing a cooked fish to her.

"Eat up. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." She smiled, also handing a skewered fish to Motoko and Hideki.

Shippo rubbed at his eyes after sitting up, grumbling about the commotion. He yawned then blinked at everyone. "Morning..."

Inuyasha grabbed a fish of his own, munching on it. He glanced at Motoko, not angry or annoyed but curious. He caught Miroku watching him and looked away, a little too focused on eating.
 
Miroku scooted next to Sisumi.

"The fish is delicious! You're such a great cook, Sisumi," he said, his hand moved to rub her bottom. His eyebrows gestured toward something devious.

Hideki let his mind wander as he ate his breakfast--not even paying attention to the group. He wondered when Nakida would be back and if she was okay.

As Motoko and Kina ate their food in silence, Motoko caught Inuyasha glancing at her. She rolled her eyes and turned her body to avoid the temptation of looking back at him.
 
Sisumi looked at Miroku, her cheeks blushed a bit and she 'lightly' hit him though the force used was probably more than she intended. "Why thank you, Miroku." The cat replied.

Shippo awoken quickly at the smell of food and happily dug in, his fluffy tail wiggling.

Inuyasha's expression turned back into a frown as he munched on his fish, albeit a bit grumpily.
 
Miroku, with a brand new bruise, fell over, his breakfast flying from his hands. "Ow..." he whimpered, still not regretting his recent action.

Motoko tapped Hideki on the shoulder.

"Everyone agreed to help us find mom," she said to him.

Hideki looked at the group, Nakida still missing from it.

"You sure? It's quite far away and who knows what delays we could come across. Besides...Nakida isn't here to agree to it," he said, blushing as her name drifted from his lips.
 
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